Organic and Local On the Rise at Grocers Nationwide. Energy Efficiency, Too

Times are tough right now, but that isn't stopping the grocery industry, which like other industries is seeing pretty slow growth, from increasing the presence of organic and local items on shelves. The organic industry grew about 10 percent to nearly $29 billion last year, motivating 66.2 percent of retailers to add natural and organic items to their shelves, according to GreenBiz.The data comes from a Food Marketing Institute report, "The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2011."

Most of that growth was in the West and Northeast, which saw organic sales growth of 80 percent and 72.2 percent, respectively. In the Midwest, 19 percent of retailers reported organic sales declines.

Locally sourced food, on the other hand, is popular with consumers across the board. More than 90 percent of consumers buy local food at least "occasionally," 9 percent do so "whenever possible" and 9 percent "never" do, according to FMI's consumer-focused report, "U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2011."

With energy costs among the top five of concerns for retailers right now, there's been consistent interest in green building practices for both new stores and remodeling. It's not always apparent, though, because green certifications are slowing down.